Verdura Necklaces
Fulco di Verdura (1898–1978) is not exactly a household name, except for those who know a thing or two about highly original, often eccentric handcrafted jewelry and, even more so, for those fortunate enough to own some. In that exclusive group, Verdura is regarded as the most gifted and coveted designer of his time.
Verdura was born in Sicily in 1898, the scion of a noble family related to the Lampedusas. (His cousin, Giuseppe di Lampedusa, wrote the great Italian saga The Leopard). His life was charmed from birth. Raised in his family’s villa, he grew up during a time when Sicily, and Palermo in particular, were meccas for well-born and highly cultured European travelers.
A bona fide duke with no clear ambitions but creative leanings aplenty (he could draw and paint), the young Verdura was part of the wandering social circuit — the so-called beau monde — that went from capital to capital, resort to resort.
Verdura, though small in stature, had that indefinable quality called charm. As a result, he was the life of every party he attended. When he finally started designing jewelry under Coco Chanel in the late 1920s, many of his friends became his clients (or received the pieces as gifts). Elsa Maxwell took him under her ample wing when she was hired to do public relations for the Lido in Venice and introduced him to the local and visiting cognoscenti. Chanel, whom he met in Venice, hired him to work in the textiles division of her fashion house. But it was his flair for jewelry that soon caught Coco’s eye. Eventually, he rose to become her personal designer of fine jewelry.
In 2002’s Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler (Thames & Hudson), Vanity Fair’s Amy Fine Collins describes the sensation of wearing pieces by Verdura, who drew inspiration from nature for his signature gem-studded seashell brooches and honeybee earrings. “They were ingeniously calculated to flatter the wearer,” writes Collins. “Earrings undulated to complement the convolutions of an earlobe, rings seductively followed the phalanges of a finger, and necklaces gracefully traced the anatomy of the throat.”
In 1934, Verdura left Chanel and together with two friends, aspiring actress Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley and Baron Nicholas de Gunzburg, moved to the U.S. After several stops, he found a job through Diana Vreeland in Hollywood with Paul Flato, then the “jeweler to the stars.” Soon he was signing his work and helping Flato cultivate the crème de la creme of the silver screen — those both on it and behind it.
Verdura left Los Angeles for New York and opened his own salon, first on Fifth Avenue in 1939, just as World War II was beginning in Europe. His backers were Vincent Astor and Cole Porter, for whom he made bejeweled boxes and cigarette cases — gifts from Porter’s wife, Linda — to commemorate the opening nights of several musicals. Verdura began to expand both his repertoire — he became much more daring and flamboyant — and his clientele. The Duchess of Windsor, Daisy Fellowes, Greta Garbo and others routinely gave him commissions. In 1941, Verdura collaborated on a collection of six pieces with Salvador Dalí to accompany a Dalí exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Verdura retired in 1972 and left the care of the company to his partner, Joseph Alfano. He later moved to London, where he died in 1978 at the age of 79.
Among the most prized pieces on display in a 2014 Verdura jewelry exhibition in New York were Greta Garbo’s curb-link bracelet watch, which Verdura designed for her in 1939; Coco Chanel’s pair of Maltese Cross cuff bracelets (she wore one on each wrist); and Diana Vreeland’s duo of Byzantine brooches.
Find a range of authentic Verdura jewelry today on 1stDibs.
2010s Unknown Modern Verdura Necklaces
Citrine, Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Early 2000s Italian Contemporary Verdura Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Verdura Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Verdura Necklaces
14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Verdura Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, Quartz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Byzantine Verdura Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
20th Century American Modern Verdura Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Verdura Necklaces
Diamond
Late 20th Century Unknown Verdura Necklaces
Diamond, Black Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Verdura Necklaces
White Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Verdura Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Contemporary Vintage Verdura Necklaces
Jasper, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Verdura Necklaces
14k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Verdura Necklaces
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Verdura Necklaces
Diamond, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Verdura Necklaces
Diamond, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Verdura Necklaces
24k Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Verdura Necklaces
18k Gold
2010s Italian Verdura Necklaces
Pearl, Mixed Metal
Late 20th Century European Verdura Necklaces
14k Gold
2010s American Artisan Verdura Necklaces
Aquamarine, Pearl, Tourmaline, Silver
1890s Unknown Victorian Antique Verdura Necklaces
Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century European Verdura Necklaces
14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Verdura Necklaces
Agate, Chalcedony, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century French Retro Verdura Necklaces
14k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier American Byzantine Antique Verdura Necklaces
22k Gold, Bronze, Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Verdura Necklaces
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Verdura Necklaces
Yellow Gold
1970s Vintage Verdura Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Byzantine Verdura Necklaces
Amethyst, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Verdura Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Verdura Necklaces
Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Verdura Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Byzantine Verdura Necklaces
Citrine, Emerald, Garnet, Peridot, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire,...
1980s Contemporary Vintage Verdura Necklaces
Jasper, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Verdura Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Italian Artist Verdura Necklaces
Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Verdura Necklaces
Garnet, Pearl, Hessonite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold